Category Archives: Discipleship

Too Little, Too Late!?

We’ve all heard it I’m sure, and most of us have said it at some point in our lives – “too little, too late”.

I understand that this phrase was probably first used in a military setting, speaking of reinforcements that were insufficient and arrived too late to be of help (first used in the early 1900’s).  This spoke to the critical need on the battle field to have the right resources and personnel, at the right time, in the right place, to be able to succeed in defeating the enemy and/or holding a position.  And, without the adequate resources and personnel the effort and cause would be overcome and lost.

These days we are hearing the phrase again in the political arena, as conservative leadership in one party are dismayed by the direction of the election and the person who is leading in those elections.  It has been said that conservative establishment folks have not been paying attention to the will of the voters in the past, and have not carried through with promises made when seeking office and political control, and momentum has shifted toward a radical reaction from voters.  Pundants are now saying the efforts of mainstream conservative politicians to regain voter loyalty is “too little, too late”.

I understand the military application of this phrase, and it makes all the sense in the world.  We will wait and see what happens in the political realm this year in regard to this.  But, my real concern is whether believers in Christ, and the body of Christ (the church), understands the importance of being on time and in step with Jesus Christ, and staying on task with what is most important to God.

When asked whether a blind man was born blind because of his own sin or the sin of his parents, Jesus answered that it was neither, but it happened so that the works of God might be displayed.  And then, he added this, “We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.”  (John 9:4, ESV).  And then, of course, Jesus used mud to anoint his eyes and restore the man’s sight, thus glorifying God.

What was Jesus saying?  I think it was just that what happens in our lives, and what our lives are really about, is displaying the works of God so that He can be glorified.  And he emphasized that we only have a set amount of time for that to happen (while it is day), and we need to be careful to spend our lives for what really matters.

Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.”  (Ephesians 5:15-16, ESV).  The admonition of the Spirit through Paul is to understand what God’s will is, and be careful to do it and not waste time, energy, resources and life on other things that don’t matter eternally.  Be busy with the right things that God wants us to be about, and don’t get distracted by human, worldly, fleshly things.  I think, in essence, we are called as followers of Christ to make doubly sure that we don’t loose focus and find ourselves in a situation that we are offering to God, to each other, and to others what is “too little, too late”.

We live in desperate times and things in the world are spinning out of control.  These are days when we are seeing unprecedented, at least in our lifetimes, departure from moral values and biblical truth in our own country.  These are days when those who have claimed the name of Jesus need to refocus on eternal things, are re-calibrate our priorities toward what matters to our Lord.  I don’t know how long we have left to convey the message of Christ to our world and deliver to people around us the message of hope in Him – but we don’t have any promise of a long time ahead to do so.

All is in place so that Christ could come at any time, any day, any moment.  The battle for souls of people around us is raging.  Regardless of what happens politically in America, King Jesus could come very soon.  We are called to order our lives after the will of God, to live in such a way as to glorify Him and do all we can to bring people to faith in Christ, and then grow each other up to be committed followers of Jesus.

Listen, the night is coming when there will be no more opportunity to reach people, and no more chance for salvation.  Eternity is closing in around us and we could be the last generation to minister reconciliation to God in the lives of people around us.  We MUST do this work to which we have been called WHILE IT IS DAY.

Let it not be said of us that we waited too long, gave too little effort, made too small an investment, and it was “too little, too late” for any Kingdom good.  Let’s be sure we give in all we have, just in time, to glorify God in all we do!

It’s More Than An Easy, Safe Life!

I was reading recently and ran across a quote that resonates with something that has been on my heart for some time.  Here’s the quote by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”

That is a message consistent throughout Scripture concerning those who would be Christians…  “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matt. 16:24, ESV).  “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me’.”  (Gal. 2:20, ESV)

That should make all of us stop and re-evaluate, or evaluate for the first time, where we are in our walk with Christ!  Words like “bids him come and die” from Bonhoeffer, who did give his life for his faith and obedience following his faith – executed by the Nazi’s after imprisonment in a military prison and later a concentration camp.  The apostle, Paul, also gave himself over to persecution, imprisonment, and a martyr’s death to prove how he was “crucified with Christ” to the point that he would give up life on earth for faithfulness to his Savior.

Listen, when Jesus says, “let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me”, he wasn’t joking, and followed through to his  own death for our salvation.  Those words “deny” and “cross” are words that should haunt we who call ourselves Christians, and who live in the comforts and safety of our Western, United State, independence and freedom.  Because the comfort and safety we have enjoyed has made us soft spiritually, and it has engendered us to an easy believism that has stolen our power and witness.

But, alas, the days are coming, not too much further into the future, when that comfort, safety and soft spirituality is going to disappear.  The wind is at the back of cultural forces that are attacking things that are at the core of what we have believed as Truth, and there is great disdain for the One who IS the Truth.  Those who hold to biblical teaching of the new covenant in Christ’s blood are already under the beginnings of attack, and the attacks will continue to get broader and involve more of us soon.

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It is time, if we haven’t waited too long already, to return to the business left for us to do until he returned – making DISCIPLES.  That’s what he told us to do – “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20, ESV).

He didn’t leave us here to be good people, although we should be.  His purpose is not just to get people to come to church, though it is good to go to church.  Our God-given purpose is not really even just to get people to join the church.  Nor is our primary purpose to get folks to say a prayer and ask Jesus to be their Savior – which is indeed the beginning of the Christian life.

But no, Jesus said to those early followers, and still says to us today, make DISCIPLES.  That is a word that means many things.  It means to be a follower of Christ, actually an emulator of Christ.  It means to identify with Christ’s death and resurrection as our only hope, and to crucify our old life to live a new life in him.  It means that after coming to faith in Christ, we then launch into an adventurous life and lifestyle of obeying him, and his Word.  And it carries with it the promise that – as we do those things and mature in our faith and walk with him – the one who has all authority in heaven and on earth will be with us as long as we live on this earth.

And as much more than just a casual observer of Christianity, and in fact one who sees our Christianity and church life lived out in more detail than I sometimes wish I had, I can tell you that I don’t see deep and life changing disciple making at the root of who we are, in general, and in the church today.  There is far too much conflict and infighting in the body of Christ today.  There is way too shallow an understanding of biblical truth among church people today.  There is a dirth of those committed to biblical stewardship of life, resources, talents, abilities, and availability.  I am convinced that if a church has financial problems, it is a discipleship problem; if there is lack of leaders, it is a discipleship problem; if there is debilitating conflict among believers, it is a discipleship problem; and if no one is ever getting saved from a churches ministry, it is definitely a discipleship problem.

We don’t know how much time we have left before God calls an end to history as we know it.  So, it is past time for we who call ourselves believers in, and disciples of, Christ; and for gatherings of the body of Christ wherever they exist; to get back to the basics of commitment to strategically and intentionally “GO and MAKE DISCIPLES” for Christ!!

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